The CSE style is used by students and researchers in the sciences. This citation style, was formerly put out by the Council of Biology Editors (CBE).
Scientific Style and Format by CSE requires that you document your sources with parenthetical references listed in the text (Lom et al. 2010) and a comprehensive list of sources (References) at the end of the paper. The examples below illustrate the 7th edition of CSE Manual in the Name-Year format (or Harvard System). For additional examples, refer to the 7th Edition of the CSE Manual (available at the library's information desk). NOTE:The CSE style requires you to abbreviate journal titles. Use NLM Catalog or the CASSI search tool to find abbreviations.
Core elements: The general format the Name-Year (or Harvard System) format for in-text references is author's last name, followed by the publication date. For variations, such as the Citation-Sequence style, refer to the CSE Manual. NOTE: In-text citations should appear after the idea, quote, or phrase, to which you are referring.
| Single author | Note |
| (Case 1999) | If the author's name is mentioned in the sentence, include only the date of publication in parentheses. |
| 2 authors | |
| (Lom and Bernd 1993) | |
| 3 authors | Note |
| (Campbell et al. 2000) | Use the first author and "et al." for the in-text citation, but list the first 10 authors in the list of references. |
| Multiple works, different authors | Note |
| (Barsoum 1999; Hay 2009; Putnam 2009) | If citing multiple works with different authors, order the references chronologically, separating each reference with a ";". |
| Multiple works, same author | Note |
| (Dorcas 1999, 2000) (Dorcas 2005a, 2005b) |
If citing a work published by the same author in different years, order the years chronologically. If you are citing two works, published in the same year, add an alphabetical indicator after the year. Use 'a' for the first entry in the References list, 'b' for the second, etc. |
| Authors with the same last name | Note |
| (Smith BA 1999; Smith PW 2010) | If citing works by authors with the same last name, include their initials. |
| Anonymous - No known author | Note |
| (Molecular...1999) | Never use "anonymous". Use a shortened title of the work if no author can be identified, followed by an ellipsis, then the date. |
| No known date | Note |
| (Smith [date unknown]) | Use [date unknown] in the rare case that there is no identifiable date for a reference. |
| Corporate/Group Author | Note |
| (Institute of Medicine 1999) | For authors that are corporations, universities, organizations, etc., use an abbreviation of name. Full organization names are also permitted. |
| Indirect references | Note |
| (Peroni et al., 1992, as cited in Smith and Western, 2001) | It is best practice to consult the original source for references, but use this formatting for situations when you cannot track down original source. |
Core elements: Author (last name, first/middle initial), date, Title (1st word capitalized; not italicized), Publication place, Publisher. For additional examples, see the CSE Style Manual.
| Book with author/editor |
| Online |
| Wessner D, Palladino MA. 2006. HIV and AIDS [Internet]. San Francisco (CA): Pearson Education; [cited 2010 Oct 23]. Available from http://www.ebrary.com/12345 |
| Campbell AM, Heyer LJ. 2006. Discovering genomics, proteomics & bioinformatics. 2nd ed. San Francisco (CA): CSHL Press and Benjamin Cummings. |
| Chapter in a book |
| Online |
| Dorcas ME, Price SJ, Walls SC, Barichivich WJ. 2009. Auditory monitoring of anuran populations. In: Dodd K, editor. Amphibian ecology and conservation: a handbook of techniques [Internet]. Oxford (GB): Oxford University Press; [cited 2009 Dec 1]; p. 281-295. Available from http://www.netlibrary.com/12345 |
| Dorcas ME, Price SJ, Walls SC, Barichivich WJ. 2009. Auditory monitoring of anuran populations. In: Dodd K, editor. Amphibian ecology and conservation: a handbook of techniques. Oxford (GB): Oxford University Press. p. 281-295. |
Core elements: Author/s, date of publication, Title of article (1st word capitalized; not italicized), Abbreviated journal title, volume, issue, pages, url or doi (if online).
| Journal article with a single author |
| Online |
| Stanback MT. 2010. Gambusia holbrooki predation on Pseudacris feriarum tadpoles. Herpetol conserv biol [Internet]. [cited 2009 Jan 3];5(3):486-489. Available from: http://www.herpconbio.org/Volume_5/Issue_3/Stanback_2010.pdf |
| Peroni PA. 1995. Field and laboratory investigations of seed dormancy in red maple (Acer rubrum L.) from the North Carolina Piedmont. For Sci. 41(2):378-86. |
| Journal article with 2+ authors |
| Online |
| Hay PC, Ramsaur T, Smith C, Miernyk, JA. 1991. Storage protein mobilization during germination and early seedling growth of Zea mays. Physiol Plant [Internet]. [cited 2009 May 12];81(3):377-84. Available from: doi: 10.1111/j.1399-3054.1991.tb08746.x |
| Putnam JL, Parkerson JB, Jr. 1985. Anatomy of the heart of the Amphibia II Cryptobranchus alleganiensis. Herpetologica. 41(3):287-98. |
| Newspaper article |
| Online |
| Wade N. 2011 Jun 20. In tiny worm: unlocking secrets of the brain. New York Times [Internet]; [cited 2011 Jun 21]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/21/science/21brain.html?_r=1&ref=science |
| Wade N. 2011 Jun 20. In tiny worm: unlocking secrets of the brain. New York Times. Sect. F: 10 (col. 2). |
| Magazine article |
| Online |
| Gibbs WW, Myhrvold N. 2011. Ultrasonic french fries. Sci Am [Internet]. [cited 2011 June 21];305(1): 27. Available from: doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0711-27 |
| Gibbs WW, Myhrvold N. 2011. Ultrasonic french fries. Sci Am. 305(1): 27. |
| Article or chapter in book |
| Online |
| Dorcas ME, Price SJ, Walls SC, Barichivich WJ. 2009. Auditory monitoring of anuran populations. In: Dodd K, editor. Amphibian ecology and conservation: a handbook of techniques [Internet]. Oxford (GB): Oxford University Press; [cited 2009 Dec 1]; p. 281-295. Available from http://www.netlibrary.com/12345 |
| Dorcas ME, Price SJ, Walls SC, Barichivich WJ. 2009. Auditory monitoring of anuran populations. In: Dodd K, editor. Amphibian ecology and conservation: a handbook of techniques. Oxford (GB): Oxford University Press. p. 281-295. |
Core elements: For online sources, use the label [Internet] to indicate that you referred to the source online. Include the date you accessed the article in this format: [cited 2011 Nov 12]. Include the url or doi (digital object identifier) at the end of the citation.
| Webpage |
| Davidson College. 2007. Biology@Davidson [Internet]. Davidson (NC): Biology Department. [cited 2011 Mar 12]; [about 1 screen]. Available from: http://www.bio.davidson.edu/ |
| Journal Article Online |
| Online |
| Lom B, Cohen-Cory S. 1999. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor differentially regulates retinal ganglion cell dendritic and axonal arborization in vivo. J Neurosci [Internet]. [cited 2010 Jun 19];19(22):9928-9938. Available from: www.jneurosci.org/content/19/22/9928.full.pdf |
| eBook |
| Online |
| Swallow J. 2004. Exploratory Galois theory [Internet]. New York (NY): Cambridge University Press; [cited 2011 Oct 12]. Available from: http://site.ebrary.com/123987 |
| News article online |
| Online |
| Wade N. 2011 Jun 20. In tiny worm: unlocking secrets of the brain. New York Times [Internet]; [cited 2011 Jun 21]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/21/science/21brain.html?_r=1&ref=science |
| Magazine article online |
| Online |
| Gibbs WW, Myhrvold N. 2011. Ultrasonic french fries. Sci Am [Internet]. [cited 2011 Jun 21];305(1):27. Available from: doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0711-27 |
Note: Refer to the CSE Manual for additional examples.
| Patent |
| Carroll FA, inventor; Davidson College, assignee. 1983 Oct 18. Synthetic fly attractants. United States patent US 4,410,509. |
| Conference |
| Bernd KK, Cook, N. 2001. Protein translocation mutants demonstrate altered herbicide resistance in novel microscale assay. American Society for Cell Biology annual meeting; 2001 Dec. 8-12; Washington, DC. |
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